A Hero's Betrayal: A Son's Redemption
by silentmaster
Summary: When a hero chooses the love for his son over the love of his village, how will he live with himself? How far will Naruto go to redeem his family name and his father's lost honor? Powerful Naruto pairing undecided
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Toppling waves crashed against the face of a jagged cliff, creating a soothing symphony to calm the nerves of all those who can hear its beauty. The incoming tide blew a salty wind through the afternoon air, swaying the few trees along the ridge. The heat of the midday sun was sparsely covered by light clouds, shielding the Earth from its powerful rays. It was a serene and perfect day for a certain man standing on the ledge of the rocks.

His face was upturned toward the sky, soaking up the peaceful atmosphere. Soft strands of spiky golden hair tenderly caressed his tan, unmarred flesh. His silky black kimono top and shozoku pants swayed gently against the sea breeze, along with his blood red obi knotted to his left side. His top was opened slightly to show off his muscular well toned chest. The black jika-tabi on his feet were dug firmly into the soil, shoulder length apart, as he stood in a relaxed stance with his arms hanging lazily at his sides, his wide sleeves ended just above his knuckles.

He had made a habit of coming here from time to time and trying to relax. The exemplary conditions of the day were almost enough to make him miss the group of shinobi hiding in the foliage behind him. He was still on his toes though, and he was able to sense them some time ago. There were four of them altogether, but feeling their chakra levels was somewhat misleading. One or two had Jounin chakra reserves, while one put off just enough for survival. Masking your presence at that level was most likely beyond their capabilities, but it would be best if he didn't assume anything too quickly.

As he felt a slight spike in chakra, a shadow shot out from the mass of leaves. The blond didn't bother moving to avoid the jutsu, or even turn to acknowledge it as it latched onto his own shadow.

"What is it you want, Nara-san?" His voice was smooth and calming.

A soft thumping of feet sounded when someone jumped out from their cover. Abruptly he felt himself being forced to turn and face his attacker. Indifferent blue eyes met the bored gaze of a pineapple haired boy in a Konoha Chuunin vest with his hands locked in a seal. The dark haired boy eyed the man in front of him skeptically for a moment and spoke.

"SS-class criminal Namikaze Minato, you are hereby ordered to return to Konoha by the demands of the Godaime Hokage, Senju Tsunade. Do not resist so we may escort you back peacefully."

His only reply was a blank stare from the darkly clad man. Getting irritated at the troublesome situation, the Chuunin attempted to take a step forward to possibly subdue the man. His eyes widened slowly when he felt a huge resistance against any such action. Sweet began to seep from his forehead at the struggle of trying to move forward, and he started to breathe heavily. When he felt his chakra reserves begin to dry with no progress to show for it, he swiftly cancelled the technique and jumped away from the stoic man.

Frowning deeply, the Chuunin made a small hand signal to his comrades. Immediately, three other people jumped out from greenery. The first two out ran at the blue eyed man in a pincer attack. One was wearing an outfit similar to the blonds, but it was a much lighter in color. He had straight black hair that went down to his mid back and lavender colored eyes. The other was wearing a green spandex Taijutsu suit with orange leg warmers. Ridiculously thick eyebrows and a bowl cut completed his look.

The two fighters closed in on the unmoving man in a matter of seconds. The pale eyed one threw a volley of precise palm strikes, the veins around his temples were bulging, the other shinobi flurried in with powerful punches and kicks that could crush anything in their path. Together they were a deadly combination and a near perfect offense most normal Jounin wouldn't be able to escape.

The blond however, proved he was far from normal as he ducked and weaved at impossible speeds and angles to avoid the assault, most of the strikes only missed by mere millimeters. It was an ode to the blonds' precision and skill. Not a single movement was wasted in his efforts, and no excess energy was expended. His expression never showed any amount of concern for the situation.

Tiring of this dance, he dodged and redirected a staggering blow from the green clad boy. It sent the Chuunin stumbling, just enough to catch him in the back with a snap kick, sending him right into his partner. The pale eyed boy was forced to abandon his efforts and attempt to soften the impact with his teammate.

Before the blond could get any rest, a storm of kunai hurled in his direction, all of them heading toward his vitals. Frowning lightly, he snatched the two leading projectiles out of the air and used them to deflect those he wouldn't be able to dodge. The Konoha-nin watched with awe at the display, but they didn't let it dissuade them. They had a mission to complete.

When the metal storm died down the blond man stood calmly, spinning the two kunai he'd caught on his fingers. A bun haired girl across the clearing cursed under her breath and reached for the large scroll on her back. Before she could open the giant sealing scroll, a kunai flew toward her and sunk into the scroll, pinning it shut. A second projectile came shortly after, just skimming the top of her head and releasing her hair from their buns. She looked up into the eyes of their prey and saw amusement clear in his eyes.

Shikamaru gazed at their opponent and realized just how hopeless this mission was from the beginning. He'd objected to it, but of course that troublesome blond Hokage forced them to go anyway.

**Flashback**

_Two figures sat across from each other on a wooden porch. A small board stood between them._

"_Checkmate"_

_Shikamaru smirked at the befuddled look on his sensei's face. Every free chance he got, the pineapple haired boy would challenge Asuma to a shogi match. It was probably the only part of his day he didn't try to sleep through or wish he was doing something else. The smoking Sarutobi had always encouraged him to build on his strategizing abilities and he never minded losing. He'd lost count of his number of wins over the man, but he knew he was undefeated as of yet. _

_The startled Jounin scrutinized the board, looking for any possible way out. He hoped his former pupil made a mistake, but he should have figured out after the three hundredth game that rarely ever happens. After a minute of searching he sighed in exasperation._

"_Looks like you win again." _

_He ran a hand through his hair and lit up a cigarette. Inhaling deeply, he turned his head to the side as he picked movement out of the corner of his eye. Off in the distance, the figure of Hyuuga Neji approached. The Nara boy took note of his sensei's distraction and followed the man's gaze. His eyes focused on Neji just as the boy was near enough for them to be able to hear him speak._

"_Shikamaru, Hokage-sama has a mission for us."_

_The Chuunin sighed and heaved himself to his feet. With a mutter about 'troublesome things' he turned to Asuma._

"_Sorry sensei, I'll need a rain check on a rematch. We'll get some barbecue when I get back, you're paying."A lazy smirk snaked its way onto his face at the Sarutobi's indignant complaints. Turning back to Neji, he began to walk in his direction. "C'mon, let's get this over with."_

_The Hyuuga nodded silently and they left for the tower._

_XxXxX_

_As they neared the Hokage's office, Shikamaru broke the silence that's been present since they left._

"_Any idea what this is about?"_

_He wasn't particularly concerned, just trying to make conversation. He didn't get an answer immediately, so he assumed he was being ignored. When the pale eyed boy finally spoke it startled him slightly._

"_I do not know. Hokage-sama was very brief in her explanation and it wasn't my place to question further." The Chuunin eyed him curiously but wasn't taken notice of. As they entered the tower, he nodded to the Hokage's secretary and the two walked up to the office door. "I do know however, that my team will be accompanying us." _

_They pushed the door open and moved inside. Rock Lee and Tenten were already there, standing next to each other in front of the desk. The black haired Shizune was also there in her Jounin uniform, standing at attention next to her master. Tsunade was leaning forward in her chair, her elbows on her desk, and her chin resting on intertwined fingers. The mood in the office was somber, and as the two new arrivals walked to stand next to their comrades they could tell by the Sannin's serious face that this was no time for games. _

"_You're probably wondering why I called you all in here today." Tsunade spoke from behind her desk. "I'm assigning a special mission to you four. It's a SS-class. You'll need to accept before you're briefed." _

_The four all looked on in shock at their leader's words. Such a thing has never been done with a team like this because they were far too inexperienced, even if Neji is a Jounin. Shizune's face was uneasy and she was looking toward the ground. She didn't want to question Tsunade, but sometimes the decisions she made didn't sit well with her. _

"_Ano, Tsunade-sama, wouldn't that type of mission be taken by a team made entirely of Anbu captains?" Tenten was the first to speak up._

_The busty Hokage looked at the girl and nodded solemnly. "Yes, normally they would, however, we simply don't have the resources to be sending them out. Also, this is a top secret assignment, even the council doesn't know about this it, so I can only send so many people, and since you are some of the most promising…" She trailed off, not needed to explain any further. "Now, will any of you be backing out? If so, leave now and never speak of this conversation ever again." None of them moved, so she told them the objective. "Good. Now listen carefully. Your mission will be to locate and retrieve the SS-class criminal Namikaze Minato. Bring him back to the village alive. Use any means necessary."_

_They all shifted uncomfortably, but Shikamaru was deep in thought. He could have sworn he's heard that name before. His eyes soon went wide in realization. The slug Sannin saw his revelation an expanded on it._

"_As I'm sure you've figured out by now Shikamaru, Namikaze Minato was the Yondaime Hokage."_

_The three who hadn't put that piece of information together gasped. _

"_Y-you want us to go and try to capture a Kage! And the Yondaime out of all people! It's suicide!" The usually lazy boy yelled in protest._

_The blond settled a glare on the boy. "I know the dangers this mission presents, but the future of the village could rest upon this. With the rise in Akatsuki's movements we'll need him more than ever."_

_Rock Lee frowned deeply. "But he is an unyouthful missing-nin. Why would he ever agree to help us?"_

_Tsunade face saddened. "There's a lot of controversy surrounding the Yondaime's abandonment. Many consider him to be a coward of the highest caliber for fleeing during the Kyuubi attack. They say he ran away to save his own life and left Konoha to burn. In fact, if Sarutobi-sensei hadn't found his notes on the Shiki Fuuin and sealed Kyuubi into Midori-chan, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." She paused for a moment and sighed. "I knew Minato personally, and he would've given his life a million times over to save this village. He loved it more than anything else in the world. That's why this bothers me so much, none of it adds up. I think if you found and talked to him, you might be able to convince him to return after all this time."_

"_How would the council react to his return?" The stoic Neji queried._

"_Not well. They may demand his head on a plate, but when I explain the situation to them I'm sure they'll compromise. Though, I don't think the civilians will be as forgiving."_

"_Do you have any clue to his whereabouts?" _

"_Hai, he's been spotted in Wave Country over the past year, aiding the locals. He's a hero around there so it shouldn't take long to pinpoint his location."_

"_This is so troublesome. What information do you have on the guy that we can use?"_

_The blond reached into her desk and pulled out a manila folder. Tossing it on toward the group, it slid across the desk and into Shikamaru's hand. The Chuunin lifted it up and flipped it open. It comprised of a couple pages of facts and known fighting abilities, and a small photograph paper clipped to the front. The lazy genius slipped the picture out and placed it in his flak jacket while handing the folder to Neji. As the Hyuuga skimmed through the info, Shikamaru spoke to the Sannin._

"_This information is sixteen years old. Don't you have anything more recent?"_

_The woman shook her head slowly. "No. He's managed to avoid us completely until now. Even with Jiraiya's frantic searching we haven't been able to come up with anything. He knows all about our spy network because he was the Hokage and Jiraiya's student. This is a chance we probably won't have again. I don't know if he slipped up on purpose either. So stay on your guard." The four in front of her nodded in unison, and she waved them off. "Dismissed"_

_As she watched them file out of the room she couldn't help being worried._

'Am I making the right decision? If it comes down to a fight Minato will destroy them, but I know, deep down, he still loves this village.'

_She threw her apprentice a glance and the two shared a concerned look. _

**Flashback end**

"ARGH!"

Tenten screamed out in frustration as her weapons were continuously dodged. By now a full arsenal covered the surrounding area. They were everywhere but near the blond. She felt so helpless against this opponent that she couldn't lend a better aid to Lee and Neji who were getting beaten into the ground. Her teammates were putting up a valiant effort in attempting to disable the man, but all they were getting for their efforts were deep gashes and broken bones. She couldn't hold back a wince as the two were slammed head first into a tree, stealing away their consciousness. The man craned his neck to look her in the eyes. She blinked once and he was gone, but before she could think on that, darkness claimed her. The blond glanced at the three unconscious forms and turned to the final attacker.

Ideas flew through Shikamaru's mind frantically as the blond began to walk toward him. Fighting would be fruitless, that had been proven already. They were finding out first hand why the Yondaime was called the greatest shinobi alive. Even though his team would be promising in the future, at the moment they were no match for him. That and it was painfully obvious the blond was still holding back.

"Wait!" The man froze in his forward movement and looked at the Chuunin expectantly. The shadow user was caught off guard that he actually listened, but he wouldn't waste the chance. "We didn't come here to fight you. We're here because there's a possibility for you to be reinstated. It's a chance to redeem yourself and wipe your slate clear of your past crimes."

Blue eyes widened minutely before his face saddened.

"Why didn't you say that to begin with?"

Turning to the ocean, he looked out at the sea in contemplation. His hands began to tighten into fists, his knuckles growing whiter by the second. After a minute he relaxed his hand and turned back to face the Chuunin. He spoke to him in a downtrodden voice.

"Very well Nara-san. Lead the way."

XxXxX

The return trip had been made in complete silence. None of them had anything to say to the man, and he reciprocated their feelings. Luckily it wasn't a terribly long journey for the five of them running at full speed from Wave Country. They would rest periodically, but they wouldn't set up camp. They didn't want to risk the man changing his mind and leaving, so they needed to arrive as quickly as possible.

As the main gates came into view, Shikamaru dared a glance at the blond man. His blue eyes reflected awe at the sight, which was reasonable considering its size, but what had the Chuunin confused was the lack of recognition or reverence in his eyes. He'd thought seeing the gates would at least bring up some memories. Perhaps he was just that good at hiding his emotions.

They reached Kotetsu and Izumo who perked up to take their papers, but the blond didn't bother to stop his stride. The two Chuunin attempted to call out to him until they caught a glimpse of his face. They froze completely. When they began to sputter incoherently, the rest of the group hurried in to catch up to their detainee.

As the men continued through the street he was causing the same reaction the Chuunin had to everyone else. People put their lives entirely on hold for those few moments. Konohagakure for the first time ever seemed to be devoid of noise apart from the soft footsteps of one blond man. Emotions began swelling up within everyone who managed to see him.

Sadness. Anger. Hatred. Rage…Betrayal.

Betrayal was clear on everyone's face as memories of that fateful October tenth flooded their minds. Memories of how their beloved leader just up and left them in their time of need. How he ran away with no known cause and left them to die. How the Sandaime was forced to give his life and seal the demon fox into _that_ girl.

The blond didn't care though. He just kept on walking, not slowing down for a second. He didn't meet anyone's eyes, because he knew what he would see if he did. Frankly, that wasn't something he wanted to deal with right now.

Before he could even make it a mile into the village, a squad of Anbu appeared in front of him. He actually had to stop this time, though he still didn't look directly at them, masks or not, he could tell they were glaring.

"Halt criminal."

Shikamaru saw the Black Ops and ran up to clear the confusion.

"Wait! He's under our protection until we can meet with the Hokage."

The captain eyed the Nara for a moment.

"We were informed by Hokage-sama of your arrival. There's a council meeting going on right now. We're to bring him there." He walked over to the blond and put his hand on his shoulder, gripping it extra tightly.

"Wait, what about-"

Too late. The entire squad Shunshin'ed away with the blond in tow.

"Troublesome"

XxXxX

"Tsunade, please inform us why you've called this meeting." The old advisor Utatane Koharu grumbled.

The slug princess had called them in half an hour ago and has been staling ever since. The busty woman sighed.

'_I guess it's no use waiting any longer.'_

"As you know, the threat of Akatsuki is rising every day. According to the information gathered by Jiraiya, they're going to begin to take a more active role in acquiring the bijuu. To be blunt, we don't have the resources to combat them alone. The Sound/Sand invasion weakened our already suffering forces. We can't afford to pull shinobi off of missions to fight this threat. So I went ahead and made decision that I believe will serve the greater good. I-"

She was cut off as an Anbu appeared in the room. The masked shinobi whispered something in her ear and she sighed in relief.

"Send him in." The ninja nodded and left the room the in a wisp of smoke. Turning back to the council, she continued. "As I was saying, I've brought someone in to aid us."

In the back of the room, Danzo scowled. Saying they needed outside help was a slap in the face to him.

"And what is this…aid, Tsunade?"

Before she could respond the door opened and a blond man walked in. The council was shocked into silence, including Tsunade. She had been prepared to see him, but that wasn't what stifled her.

'_Minato…you look even younger than when you left…How?'_

The quiet lasted for only a moment longer before the outrage erupted.

"What is the meaning of this Tsunade?!"

"How dare you show your face here traitor!"

"I'd rather die than accept his help!"

"He'll just betray us again!"

"He-"

"Isn't Minato"

Everyone quieted down at the interruption. Turning their heads to the direction it came from, they saw the white haired toad Sannin sitting on the window sill. Jiraiya was staring at the blond with hard eyes, but it was easy to see the hurt and sadness in them. Out of everyone, Minato's deflection hit the toad summoner the hardest, and seeing an imposter didn't amuse him in the least.

The civilian and shinobi council, along with Tsunade leaned forward in their chairs and scrutinized the teen's image. True enough, they noticed things that had been overlooked because of their shock. The person in front of them had shorter hair than Minato, though it was still long enough to sag and give him bangs. He wasn't as tall as the Yondaime and his features weren't as chiseled, but other than that there were no noticeable differences.

The blond looked toward Jiraiya and returned his gaze. Slowly an amused grin crept onto his face.

"About damn time someone caught on to that. I didn't think I looked that much like him."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Then who are you? And where _is _Minato?"

It was Tsunade who broke the silence following the blonds' admittance. Her voice was guarded in case this mystery person was a threat. The teen crossed his arms and sighed.

"My name is Namikaze Naruto… Minato was my father."

Frenzied murmurs of disbelief spread throughout the room. Surely they would have known if the Yondaime was involved with someone while he resided in Konoha. Jiraiya stared at the boy with wide eyes.

'_This is my godson? …Naruto, I wish I could have been there.'_

Suddenly, he realized something about what the boy said.

"You said 'was.' What happened to Minato?"

Naruto's eyes darkened and his posture sagged. When he spoke, his sounded haunted.

"He's…dead… That's all I'm going to say on the matter, so don't bother asking anymore."

The council knew that they probably couldn't push for any information on that subject for now, but they would need to know eventually. It's not every day a SS-class shinobi dies.

"Naruto-san?" Tsunade grabbed his attention. "Not that we don't appreciate the visit, but…why are you here? Why did you agree to come?"

He turned to look at her with a serious expression.

"To answer that I'll need to clear something up."

The council was all ears. They were much more willing to listen to him after hearing he wasn't actually the Yondaime.

"You need to know what really happened the night of the Kyuubi attack, sixteen years ago…"

A/N: Hope that didn't suck. I'm writing this to take up my time while I plan the rest of my other fics, so if you're a fan of mine don't worry I didn't abandon them.

I know Naruto came off as being cold, but this isn't a dark fic. He's just got some issues and no one to cheer him up.

This is set at the beginning of Shippuden btw. Tsunade didn't know about Naruto's birth, but Jiraiya did. Anyway, it may seem weird but there's gonna be a bunch of flashbacks later to explain things. Don't know how often I'll update, but it'll probably depend on reactions. Don't know what the pairing are as of yet either.

Oh, and if you can't picture the parts of his outfit that I used Japanese names for, just think of what a stereotypical real world ninja would wear from the waist down, or just use google images, that's what I do.


	2. Chapter 2

(Night of the Kyuubi attack: sixteen years ago…)

It was a dark, chilly night, and billions of stars littered the sky. The atmosphere was heavy, encompassed by a malicious energy that ran straight through Konoha's core. Screams of terror and battle cries were overshadowed by the monstrous roars of the nine tailed bijuu. A single man sat in his office, doing his best to drown out all outside distractions.

Namikaze Minato was furiously scribbling down his notes on a large blue scroll. His brow was furrowed in deep concentration and his left hand kept his head propped up while grasping a lock of his hair. He'd been working for hours on end with no breaks, trying to complete this jutsu. It was their only hope of stopping destructive beast. He was sure to die from its use, but that was of no consequence in his mind. He had all but finished the technique, but there were some minor details he needed to work through.

'_And if I put an elephant seal on top of that it should be enough to keep it contained…but in what?' _

Ideas mulled about in his mind, though most were thrown away immediately. Inanimate objects were only good for holding anything below four tails of power. History had proven that anything stronger could break free within a week. Animals wouldn't be of any use either. They simply didn't have the intelligence or ability to adapt. Their tiny undeveloped coils couldn't handle that much chakra flowing through their system because they would only be able to grow to a certain size before they burst from strain.

No, it was clear that humans were the only ones capable of accommodating that amount of chakra safely. The Yondaime mused if he could seal it into himself, but found that to be a dead end. His chakra was already 'set in its ways' so to speak. Introducing something as radical as demonic chakra so late in his life would be too much of a shock to his system, killing him instantly and allowing the beast to escape before the seal solidified. That only left one option.

The blond man felt queasy at the insinuation of what he had to do. To curse a child in the dawn of its life. To burden an infant and save the lives of people who he doubted would ever fully appreciate the sacrifice. He loved his village with every fiber of his being and was more than willing to give his life to save them, but to give a second life away? One that wasn't his to give in the first place? How could he do that?

The image of a beautiful redheaded woman suddenly appeared in his mind's eye. He couldn't help but be warmed by the image of her smiling lovingly at him, cradling her nine months pregnant stomach.

'_Kushina…what should I do?' _

Minato sighed heavily in defeat and rested his face in his palms.

'_No, I know what I must do…'_

"Naruto…" he whispered his sons name and the sickness in his abdomen returned tenfold.

"What about Naruto?"

The Yondaime's head shot up and he locked eyes with his predecessor, the Sandiame. He had been so distracted he hadn't noticed the man enter, though few non-Jounin could sense him coming even if they were at their best. Sarutobi took a deep drag on his pipe and spoke to the blond.

"What was that you were saying about Naruto, Minato-kun?"

The Yondaime slumped in his chair and gained an expression the Sandaime thought he was far too young to wear.

"I'm out of options old man. I'll need to use Naruto to stop the Kyuubi."

The old man frowned for a moment, pondering what the blond said. When the realization hit him, he dropped his pipe.

"B-But he's your son! There has to be another way!"

"There is no other way, only an infant can handle the demonic chakra…"

"Then use someone else if you must. Why does it have to be Naruto?"

"And say what?!" Sarutobi was taken aback by the outburst. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to seal Kyuubi into my son so I'm taking yours?! Even if I did do that, what would they think of Naruto when it got out that he's my son and I didn't use him?!"

"You shouldn't put so much emphasis on what others think Minato-kun."

"Yeah, well a lifetime of scorn wouldn't be so great for his psyche."

"And having a demon sealed into him will change that?" The Sandaime shot back.

"Point taken" The blond sighed and rubbed his temples. "He's being born as we speak old man. I went over the hospital reports already, and if I were to use anyone else we would need to induce premature labor. Then there's a chance the child won't survive that process along with the sealing."

The Sandaime went silent for a moment before he sighed in acceptance. When he spoke again it was out of concern for the future of the child. "You do know how the villagers will react when they find out, don't you? Naruto could grow up hating you for it."

"I know. I don't want to do this… Kami in heaven knows I don't want to do this." The blond man got up and stepped over to his window. Gazing across the darkened village, he spoke. "But what choice do I have? He'll have Kushina to help him, and with her around hopefully no one would dare do anything." He turned and looked at the older man with a stony gaze. "Besides, he is my son and he'll endure."

The old man frowned in defeat and bent down to pick up his pipe. He brushed of the invisible dirt and placed it in his mouth. After he lit it up, he turned a resolute eye to the man.

"If this is truly the only way, then allow me to perform the jutsu."

The Yondaime closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I could never ask you to do that old man…"

"And why not? I've lived a long life Minato. Your family and the village will need you. Your son will need his father more than ever. Let the old die so the young may live."

"I can't just shirk my duties over to you. Your retired old man, and I'm the Hokage. How could I ever show my face again if I let the 'Professor' die in my place?"

His eyes cracked open and he peered in reverie at the Kage hat that rested on his desk. Reaching out, he grasped it in his hand and held it at chest level to inspect it closely.

"When I took this hat from you old man, I made a pledge, a personal one that I swore I would always uphold."

In a swift movement, he spun the hat around and placed it on his head. A wave of demonic chakra shook the ground and flung his office window open. His white coat billowed from the entering gust. A dim red glow from off in the distance outlined his figure. The Sandaime stared at the imposing figure his successor made in awe, and there was no doubt in his mind he'd made the right choice in the man's appointment to the office. When he spoke again, his voice was just above a whisper.

"I would protect the things I held the most dearly to me…"

He trailed off for a second, and his eyes were soft yet warm. They were of a normal man, full of emotion and sorrow. However, with a quick blink of his lids that changed. Icy blue orbs stared down a stupefied Sarutobi. They were hard and unshakable, full of cruelty and mercilessness. They held no pity, no love, and no hesitation. They were the eyes of a killer, the eyes of a Kage, the eyes…of 'Konoha's Yellow Flash.'

The blond scowled and grit his teeth in defiance to any unknown force that dare try to defy him.

"NO MATTER WHAT THE COST!"

The Sandaime subconsciously took a step back. The raw determination that shone in the blonds eyes was insurmountable. It was clear that if anything got in his way they would be quickly eradicated, even if that something was a bijuu.

As Minato finished speaking he walked to the door, past the old Sarutobi, who at that moment snapped out of his daze.

"Where are you going?"

He answered without turning or breaking his stride.

"I have to prepare the seals in a room where Naruto will take in the Kyuubi. I need you to go to the hospital and retrieve him for me."

"Wait!" The blond stopped this time, but didn't look at the older man. "You're not going to even see him?"

"It'll…It'll just make things harder than they already are old man."

"You're afraid you'll change your mind?" The Yondaime nodded morosely. "Minato-kun, your wife deserves a goodbye. You know how hard she would take it if see never saw you again. And do you really want to go to the grave knowing you didn't see your only son even once?"

The man hung his head in shame and sighed heavily.

"Very well, I'll go see my family…one last time…"

XxXxX

He was alone as he walked through the vast streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. All of the civilians had already been evacuated to the inner chamber of the Hokage monument and the shinobi were out battling the bijuu. Doctors and hospital patients were the only exception. Relocating dozens of sick people safely in such a short amount of time was nothing short of impossible. Coupled with the fact that they ran the risk of exacerbating their conditions didn't make it a sound idea. Thankfully there were a large group of medics willing to uphold their oaths to the fullest and stay through the danger to treat those who needed it.

Noiselessly he approached the hospital doors and pushed them open. It was one of the few buildings that still had power due to their backup generators. It was a surreal experience for him, walking down those cold sterile hallways. People in white uniforms were running through the corridors like chickens with their heads cut off. Gurney after gurney rolled through the halls carrying injured and dying shinobi, shinobi that were under his command. All the while he walked calmly up to the maternity ward to say his goodbyes to his loved one, a chance none of these men got. It was selfish of him, he knew, but sometimes a man should think of himself for once.

He had managed to stop a frantic nurse and get her to tell him where Kushina's room was before she ran off again. It only took him a matter of moments to reach the designated room, but when he got there the doctor assigned to this ward was exiting. The blond hurried over to the man and began to ask questions.

"Doctor, this is Uzumaki Kushina's room right?"

The man had been writing in his clipboard and was startled by the new voice. Looking up, he was shocked to meet the blue eyes of the Yondaime.

"Hokage-sama? What are you doing here? Are you close to Uzumaki-san?"

Minato nodded. "Hai, I guess you could say that. How is she doing?"

The doctor's eyes softened. Closing his clipboard, he placed a hand on the blonds shoulder and led his to a bench on the opposite wall. He motioned for his leader to have a seat, to which he complied. The man took a moment to choose his words carefully. When he spoke again it was in a comforting tone.

"Hokage-sama…Know first that her child is fine and in perfect health." Minato felt a huge wave of relief wash over him, before he realized the man wasn't finished. "Uzumaki-san however…She's suffered massive amounts of blood loss. That coupled with the stress of tonight…I'm sorry, but she's not going to make it, there's nothing we can do."

The Yondaime looked toward the ground as the information sunk in. His eyes were wide in anguish and his breathing became labored.

"How much time?" He barely managed to choke out the question.

"Soon, within the hour at most."

The doctor didn't try to stop the man as he staggered to his feet and robotically entered the woman's room. He figured it was safe to assume that the Hokage was close to the woman, probably on an intimate level, but it was not his place to make mention of it.

Minato quietly closed the door behind him, as not to disturb the occupants of the room. He was still looking toward the floor, afraid that if he saw her it would confirm his worst fears.

"Minato-kun? Is that you?"

A soft, weak voice rasped out. It was a voice that used to make his heart swell with warmth, but now…now all it did was make his insides drop. Slowly he raised his head and gazed upon the person he held so deer to him. Kushina was lying in her hospital bed, the blankets covered her from the waist down. Her complexion lightened from a light tan to milky white. Her once vibrant fiery red hair was dulled and matted to her pillow. Her head was turned toward the door, and her green eyes squinted, trying to make out her husband's figure.

"Hai, it's me Kushina-chan." He grabbed a nearby chair and brought it next to her bed. Sitting down, she reached out to him and he took her soft hand in his. Glancing to the side of the room, he notices a small crib. "How's our son?"

The woman closed her eyes and smiled dreamily. "He's… so beautiful… Minato-kun. I wish you could have been there… when he was born." Her breathing was becoming labored.

"Me too, everything just been going wrong lately. We'll just have to make up for lost time later on." He gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, doing his best to keep the redhead reassured.

She smiled sadly and shook her head. "No, I'm dying Minato-kun…I know it. I won't… be there for him. I'm so sorry."

"There's nothing for you to apologize about. You're gonna be fine, and you'll always be there."

"Can you…please just promise me…one thing?"

"Anything you want."

She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at the crib.

"Keep him safe Minato-kun…please… protect him."

Her head lowered back to the pillow and she closed her eyes.

"I love you…"

The Yondaime watched in sorrow as her breathing slowed to a stop, and she passed away quietly. A warm liquid prickled the side of his eyes as he looked upon her still form. Lifting her hand, he kissed her cooling fingers and placed them back on her chest.

"Hai…I love you too."

He choked back a sob as he covered his face with his hands and silent tears began to flow. A part of him had passed away alongside his wife. There would be no more laughter or smiles. No more would he hear her boisterous shouts and cocky attitude. The light in his life had been harshly smothered by the cold hands of death, leaving him in the dark. He felt so alone, so helpless. What use was it being Hokage if you can't even save the one person you care about most?

Slowly, he began to feel detached from reality. His entire body was going numb, but he didn't care. She was gone, and she was never coming back. Darkness spread over his mind as he drifted away…

A happy gurgling noise snapped him back to reality in an instant. His head shot up, and puffy red eyes stared at the source. He could see a tiny, tan hand sticking up over the side of the crib across the room.

"Naruto…"

In his distraught state he had forgotten the baby was in the room. He pushed himself to his feet. Walking over to the crib, he peered over the edge and took sight of his son for the first time. Tiny limbs wiggled in the air, his eyes were clenched tightly shut. Minato couldn't help but feel a small smile forming as he ran his hands through a tuft of the boys blond hair. The action aggravated the infant slightly and it started to cry. He knew it was normal for newborns to cry frequently, but still, he decided he didn't like it. His son was upset and he wanted to make it better. Absentmindedly he wondered how many tears his son would shed due to the choice he was going to make, yet with Kushina gone, who would be there to make it better?

Leaning forward, he took the young child and held him in his arms. He began to rock him gently and walk around the room to help calm him down. Soon enough he found himself near the window, peering outside he could still see red chakra on the horizon. Sighing heavily, he gazed back at his son when he noticed the sobbing had ceased. Bright blue irises stared back at him in awe.

He closed his eyes sadly and memories flooded his mind.

"_B-But he's your son! There has to be another way!"_

"_You do know how the villagers will react when they find out, don't you? Naruto could grow up hating you for it."_

"_Your son will need his father more than ever."_

"_How could I ever show my face again..."_

"_Keep him safe Minato-kun…please…protect him."_

"_I would protect the things I held most dearly to me…NO MATTER WHAT THE COST!"_

Cold blue eyes snapped open, filled with a new found resolve. He would protect Naruto. That was his new goal. That was his only purpose now. And until the boy could stand against the strongest, he would never leave him. He was all he had left of Kushina, and no unnecessary tears would fall from his eyes as long as he took in air.

He shifted his weight and held the boy in his arms with one hand. Using the other, he opened the window and pulled out a three pronged kunai. Gripping the projectile tightly, he pulled his arm back and threw it with all his might. In a yellow flash, Namikaze Minato disappeared from the Hidden Leaf Village forever, leaving his parting words to the wind.

"I'm sorry Konoha. What I do now is not as the Hokage, but as a father…"

A/N: Short, I know, but I wanted to leave it hanging there. The others from now on will be longer. It got a little sappy there, but in my defense I was listening to Phil Collins when I wrote it. (don't ask)


	3. Chapter 3

A tense silence filled the council room as the young blond brought a conclusion to his story. A myriad of emotions played over their faces. The tale had been a far cry from the previous assumptions that had been made. They had just figured the Yondaime to be a coward running out on his duties. It's difficult to pass judgment on a man for protecting his family, however, he was still the Hokage, and he did abandon his village as well as his comrades.

"Naruto-san," The old man Mitomon Homura spoke up after Naruto finished. "We would like to thank you for…enlightening us on the situation. And as much as we would like to sympathize with you, we find it difficult considering your father still committed high treason, regardless of the circumstances. There's no justification in what you've told us."

"I apologize if it seemed like I was defending Otou-sama's choices." The blond responded with his calm demeanor still in place. "I was merely describing the situation I was born into. While I greatly appreciate Otou-sama's actions as a man, as a leader they haunted him until his last breath. I can't say in all honesty that I would alter how things took place, but I still plan on making them right."

"And how do you intend on doing that?" Danzo questioned from his place at the back of the room. "Redemption for one such as him will not come easily."

Naruto stayed silent for a moment. When he spoke out, determination filled his eyes. "I will pledge my undying allegiance to Konoha and the Hokage. To serve this village until I meet my end."

Mumbles filled the room at his proclamation. Some were offended that the son of a traitor would attempt to join their ranks, while others were excited to have another powerful ninja around. Tsunade called for silence in the room while banging a gavel lazily. Hyuuga Hiashi stood from his seat. All eyes turned to the stoic man, who until now had been completely quiet. When he spoke his voice was completely neutral, but still somehow held an air of superiority.

"Naruto-san, how can we be so sure we can trust you when your father's actions have put the honor of your family name itself into question?"

Everyone looked on expectantly for an answer. The same question had been itching at the back of all of their minds. Pale emotionless eyes stared down unflinching cerulean irises. The Hyuuga clan head made for an imposing figure, but the blond wasn't intimidated in the least. He had never faced a Hyuuga before so he wasn't sure how a fight would turn out between them. He had no useful knowledge of the Jyuuken or experience with the Byakugan, but that didn't mean he would back down or show fear.

"Because Hyuuga-san, I never go back on my word, that's _my _nindo. I'll bring the Namikaze's back to their former glory, even if it kills me."

He didn't blink once as the Byakugan inspected his every word and facial movement looking for deception. After a minute, the man closed his eyes and nodded while retaking his seat. This quieted a surprising number of naysayers, the bloodline limit clan held much sway over the opinions of the council, especially the civilians. They were nobility in Konoha, so those who knew nothing of shinobi matters turn to them for what they should expect.

"Does anyone else have an objection to Namikaze Naruto's enlistment?" The Hokage questioned the room.

"It's troublesome, but we'll definitely need him in the coming times."

"Yeah, he looks like a good kid, let him in!"

"I agree. If you ask me, it's about time this whole Yondaime business was cleared up."

Jiraiya turned a grateful gaze to the Ino/Shika/Cho trio, who had spoken out on behalf of their former friend's son. He frowned when he looked toward the top of the room and saw Danzo was about to speak up. The crippled man stood and garnered everyone's attention.

"You have something to say Danzo?" Tsunade asked in annoyance.

The man ignored her and spoke his opinion. "For one as unknown as him to be integrated into the ranks so soon would be foolhardy. For the time being, he should be considered an outside third party on probation until he can prove himself, with constant Anbu surveillance while in the village. He's too powerful to be left completely unchecked." His single uncovered eye locked on the blond. "However, if after that time he proves that he can strengthen the mighty tree of Konoha, than he should be allowed full admission."

Both Sannin looked surprised that he would accept the boy with such little fuss, but Danzo was smart enough to know that if the boy was loyal it would be foolish to throw him away carelessly. They knew they would have to agree to his provisions though, judging by the approving looks the others were giving him.

"Very well," The slug Sannin addressed the group. "Namikaze Naruto will be on one months' probation. Upon satisfactory completion of this trial period he'll be given a forehead protector and an official rank. Until then he'll report directly to me, and I'll give status reports of his progress to the council, any questions?" No one responded. "Good, then I officially call an end to this meeting. Naruto-san, let's retire to my office so we can work out the details of you new position."

He curtly nodded and followed her out the door, followed by the toad Sannin shortly after.

XxXxX

As soon as the teen pushed aside the large wooden door of the Hokage's office, he found himself face deep in the woman's fleshy mounds. Tsunade had pulled him into a bone crushing hug almost immediately, and he wasn't sure how to react to the situation. Deciding flailing his arms and turning blue was his only course of action, he remained in the precarious position as the woman dragged him over to her desk and pulled out a bottle of sake. This is the scene that greeted her teammate.

"Tsunade-hime, why don't you ever greet me like that?" Jiraiya complained, his shoulders slumping.

She glared at the man and took a swig of her bottle. "Because you're a pervert."

"Yeah, well in a few seconds so will he." He pointed to the struggling teen being smothered in her hold.

The blond woman glanced down and she felt a line on warm blood trailing down her bare skin. Loosening her grip on the boy, he shot across the room and stood awkwardly as he wiped away the smeared blood from under his nose while panting. Jiraiya openly laughed at the boy's refusal to meet Tsunade's eyes, but she found the light pink blush on his cheeks to be irresistibly adorable. When he started stuttering as he spoke, she had to keep herself from jumping up and squeezing the life out of him.

"W-what was that all about?!" He did his best to sound put off, but failed miserably. His calm attitude was cracking for the first time in months.

"C'mon kid, not many people get that close to Tsunade-hime. Hell, I've been trying for years."

After hitting her teammate on the head for the comment, she apologized. "I'm sorry about that Naruto-kun. It was just so overwhelming to see you that I had to do it. Having to act all serious around all those council stiffs didn't help either. Here, have some sake as an apology." She held the bottle out to him, but he waved it away.

The teen was still flustered, but he was beginning to calm down. His father had never been so openly affectionate to him, so the hug itself wasn't something he was completely used to. Though, he was surprised by her behavior in general. He'd thought the Hokage was going to be very proper and formal. His father had told him Tsunade had taken the position, but this attitude of hers wasn't as he described. What had happened to the woman who lived in depression with hemophobia?

And Jiraiya…he was no surprise.

"Well, warn me next time you try something like that. I almost suffocated." He straightened out his kimono top and took some deep breathes to compose himself.

"Sorry sorry, why don't you have a seat?" She motioned to the chairs in front of her desk.

The teen narrowed his eyes and gave her a weary gaze "I think I'll stand."

"Suit yourself." She took in another mouthful of the alcohol from her hand.

"Now, I believe we should get down to business."

"Hai, I suppose we should. Now as I said in the council chamber, you'll be reporting directly to me and no one else. You won't be taking official misses per se, but I've got something special for you in mind anyway." He raised a curious eyebrow, but she left it unnoticed and went on. "Now, since I can't give you a forehead protector yet, you'll be carrying around this scroll," She reached in her drawer and pulled out a small red scroll with black markings on it. "with my seal on it. Show this to any Konoha shinobi and they'll know you're on our side."

She tossed the scroll to the teen, and he effortlessly caught it. As he stuffed it into his shirt he spoke. "Anything else?"

"Yes, I want you to wear this mask until we can clear things up around the village about you. You don't have to, but it'll save you a whole lot of trouble if they don't associate you with your father just yet." She tossed a sleeveless, tight black shirt with a cloth mask connected the collar, similar to the one a certain silver haired elite Jounin always wears.

The blond eyed the article of clothing for a moment and shrugged. "I guess you're right. I don't want to take any steps backwards with the populous on accident." With that, he slid the silky material of his kimono top off of his shoulders and let it hang limply behind him, showing off his entire upper body. It was Tsunade who found herself blushing this time around. The boy usually kept part of his chest showing so you can catch a glimpse of what his build was like, but it was much more noticeable now. She bit her lower lip as he pulled the shirt over his head, his tan muscles rippling.

'_It's been so long and he's so handsome…'_

Jiraiya caught the look in her eyes and grinned lecherously. "He's a bit young for you don't you think Tsunade-hime? I think that goes beyond cradle robbing." The slug Sannin glared heavily at the man, but the growing pink on her cheeks didn't help her point. _'This kid is gonna be pure inspirational gold. I'll need to keep an eye on him.'_

The Namikaze remained oblivious the elder shinobi's exchange as he pulled the shirt down, leaving the mask off and his kimono hanging for the moment. He was confused by the smile on Jiraiya's face and the embarrassment on Tsunade's, but he ignored it.

"Ok, so what else do I need?"

The Hokage shook herself back to reality and smiled at the boy. "Well, what's your financial situation? Did you bring any money with you?"

"Some, but it won't last long."

The woman nodded. "Good, because your father's home was torn down and all of his assets were seized, so until you get some mission pay, you would have been out of luck." The blond didn't look shocked at that. He had figured they wouldn't keep deserters things in pristine condition for his return.

"I suppose it's time I briefed you on your mission, the mission originally intended for your father." Naruto stood at attention as she went on. "I don't know how familiar you are with the events around the Elemental Countries, but I'll inform you regardless. There's a very dangerous group of nine S-rank missing-nins who are calling themselves Akatsuki. Each one is the best of the best in their respective fields and extremely powerful in their own right. We don't know who all of them are but we do know that they've gathered together for a single purpose."

"And that is?"

She rested her chin on her fingers and her elbows on the desk. "To claim the nine bijuu." The teen's eyes slowly began to widen as the information sunk in. "As you can imagine, this can never be allowed to happen. No one is meant to wield that type of power, and it'll be your job to make sure they never succeed."

"How will I do that? Take them down one by one? Lead an assault team on their base?"

"No, nothing so extreme for now, actually you'll be a bodyguard."

The boy leveled a deadpan expression. "You brought me here to guard someone? Isn't that usually the job of Anbu or something?"

"Normally yes, but you've yet to realize that no average shinobi can go up against this threat. Even massive numbers have no effect on them. Only someone at their level can be of use." She frowned lightly. "Besides, I find it appropriate considering who we'll be assigning you to."

"You mean-"

"Yes, you'll be protecting the very girl that took your place at the sealing, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, Fujita Midori." As Naruto eyes softened and he gained a faraway look, Tsunade turned to her teammate. "Speaking of which, where is Midori-chan? I'd forgotten you two had just gotten back from your training trip."

Jiraiya scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "Well, I heard you sent out a mission and returned Minato. In my haste to get back, I kinda…ditched her on the way here. She should be coming through the gates just about now though. Hope she's not pissed."

The woman rubbed her temples and turned the other blond, who was already heading for the door. "Where are you going?"

The teen stopped and turned to her. While pulling up his mask, he regarded her. "Getting an early start, it's best to go now while I know where she is."

"Don't you want to know what she looks like?"

He shook his head in the negative. "No, my father always used to say, 'true shinobi don't need descriptions to find their target.' I know she'll be near the main gate, that'll be enough."

He turned to leave, but Jiraiya stopped him this time.

"Wait, can you tell me just one thing?" The boy didn't answer, and the toad Sannin took at as a cue to go on. "How did Minato die, really?" His voice was pleading. He needed to know, it would eat him up inside in he never found out. The boy began to walk away again. "Wait a seco-"

"He was killed…" He interrupted the man as he kept going. "by the greatest shinobi to ever live." The door slammed behind him leaving two wide eyed Sannin in his wake. Both with the same question on their minds…

'_Who could kill a SS-class shinobi?'_

XxXxX

"BAKA ERO-SENNIN!"

The indignant cries of a wronged kunoichi rang throughout the forest, sending birds flying from their nests in fear and the other creatures to scatter to avoid her wrath. "After two and a half years of traveling, he ditches me five miles away from the gate! When I get my hands on that pervert I'll…I'll…" Righteous flames of anger burned in her pink irises.

Kotetsu and Izumo sweatdropped as the girl ranted to herself, completely forgetting to check in with them. They just let her go through though they didn't want to be the focus of her attention right now. Besides, everyone knew of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, she didn't need identification.

The girl shoved her hands into the pockets of her black and purple shorts that reached four inches above her knees and stomped through the streets. Her full red lips were set in a dramatic pout, black ninja sandals kicked up dirt as she slammed them down with each step. Spotting an electoral pole, she picked up her pace and ran up the side. Reaching the top, she stared out at the village, toward the Hokage monument. Closing her eyes, she let the wind drift over her, a small smile making its way onto her face. The black cloth of her forehead protector swayed in the gust, as well as her unzipped purple jacket, showing off the tight black undershirt beneath that restrained her c-cup breasts. Spreading her arms, she breathed deeply.

"I missed this place, it hasn't changed at all."

"You've grown a lot, haven't you…Midori."

The light brown haired girl craned her neck behind her to see the new voice. At the same time, Naruto Shunshin'ed into the area but remained hidden. He inspected the whisker marks on the girls face, and grinned triumphantly under his mask. The girl's eyes met the sight of a lazy Jounin resting on a nearby roof, an orange book open in front of his face, and a hand waving casually in the girl's direction.

"Yo"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Midori smiled widely and jumped toward the man. "You haven't changed at all!" She walked closer to him and scratched the back of her head. "Here, I got you a present." She reached in the pouch attached to the back of her belt and pulled out an orange book.

"What?! You… H-How…Th…This is…This is the latest in the Icha Icha series after three years!"

The girl sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, no matter what I did I couldn't stop Ero-Sennin from writing that perverted stuff, so I figured I'd get you a copy."

"Midori!"

The jinchuuriki looked toward the ground and saw her pink haired teammate running toward her. Smiling brightly, she jumped off the roof to meet the girl.

"Sakura-chan!"

"Neh Midori, how do I look? More grown up?" The girl in question scratched her cheek and put a hand on her hip, pushing part of her jacket aside. Sakura glanced down at the girl's torso and gaped. "W-What?! No fair! When did you grow those?!"

"Eeh? Grow what?" A firm poke to her chest from the pink haired girl made her cross her arms and blush. "O-Oh, these. It was during my trip. They just got in the way of my training though, and Ero-Sennin was ruthless about it. And don't poke em' so hard like that, they're sensitive." The girl shamelessly declared.

Off to the side, Kakashi giggled perversely at the conversation, and up in his hiding place Naruto sported a small blush, covered by his mask.

The girl straightened up and put her hands on her hips. "Now! I think it's time for you to treat your favorite student to lunch don't you think sensei?"

Kakashi opened up his new book and giggled girlishly. "As much as I'd love to see you put back twenty bowls of ramen, I need to file a report with Tsunade-sama that was due a few hours ago, later." Before she could shout out a protest, the man disappeared in a cloud of smoke via Shunshin.

With a low mumble of, 'cheap bastard' the girl turned to her teammate. "What about you Sakura-chan? You wanna get something to eat?"

"Sure, but I'm not treating you. I don't have that kind of money."

The girl sighed in defeat, but didn't let it get her down. Without anymore delay, the two were off toward their destination, Ichiraku.

XxXxX

Midori smiled happily as she walked down the road, but on the inside she was distressed. Every where she went, even after three years of absence, she still got those cold eyes cast toward her. She'd show them though, she'd prove that it didn't bother her to be ignored, that she would become Hokage and earn their respect. Sakura had long since noticed the looks her friend garnered and knew the cause. She had to admit that she had her prejudice about the Kyuubi at first, mostly due to her parents telling her to, but her friend had grown on her over time.

As Naruto silently watched the girl, he couldn't help but feel guilty about her situation. It was painfully obvious to anyone that the villagers despised her very existence, and he doubted that would ever change. People are too stubborn to admit their faults and change as a whole, at least that's what he's learned through his experience. That's why he agreed to wear the mask, it was best to clear things up before they could label him as his father.

'_No one knows how to let go of the past.'_

He could hear them whisper behind her back, and he was sure she could too. Things like 'Demon slut' and 'Kyuubi bitch,' it was so harsh, but she took it all in stride. Her radiant smile never faltered, and she never broke her gait. Deep down, he admired her strength, because truthfully, he didn't know if he could handle it. This was the ugly side of Konoha, this was what his father threw away his life here to protect him from. He never meant for his son to see this part of the Leaf Village, but that was inevitable. Fujita Midori was his ward now, she was under his protection, and he'll be damned if any of them dare touch her while he's around. He at least owed that much to the girl.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught some movement. Turning his head he saw a middle aged man bend over and pick up a brick as the girl passed by. The nearby civilians watched with sinister grins as the man pulled back his arm and launched the brick at the jinchuuriki. It soared through the air at high speed for a civilian. Midori heard the air displacement of the projectile and spun around, expecting to be hit or barely able to dodge. Instead her gaze landed of a group of bewildered people, yet anything that had been thrown and anyone that had thrown it were now missing.

"Something wrong Midori?"

The girl frowned in confusion and cautiously walked away from the scene. "No, nothing at all."

XxXxX

In a nearby dark ally, a terrified man was being held against a wall, and a hand was covering his mouth while squeezing his jaw painfully hard. A second hand rose up and it held the brick in its grasp. The hand clenched and crushed the brick into dust. The restrained man began to struggle frantically, but it was to no avail.

"Now now, why would a full grown man attack a defenseless little girl?" He couldn't understand the man completely, but he was able to recognize a scoff. "Oh, you don't agree? Well, let me tell you this…" He tightened his hold on the man, almost breaking his jaw. "Fujita Midori's got someone watching her back now, so if you or any of your ignorant little friends ever think of laying a finger on her again…" He leaned forward, letting his cold blue eyes come into view. "You'll have to get through me first."

He loosened his hold on the man and uncovered his mouth. "You'll never get away with this. It'll just make the council members who hate her come after the bitch."

"Hn. Let them come." Before he could get a response, he slammed the man against the wall, knocking him unconscious.

XxXxX

A red faced Tsunade and Jiraiya sat across from each other in her office. Empty bottles littered the surrounding area, and the smell of sake permeated the air. The toad Sannin had his feet resting on her desk and the medic had her head on the table.

"Did you ever imagine it turning out like this Jiraiya?" Tsunade mumbled from her place on the furniture.

The white haired man took another drink. "Turning out like what?"

"You know, Minato dying without us ever knowing, then a son we didn't even know existed coming back and swearing away his freedom to the village. It's so…"

"Fucked up? Yeah I know. I always thought he would go out in a blaze of glory and be remembered for it forever, but it was never to be. To be truthful though…I did know about Naruto."

The drunken woman pushed herself upright and glared at the man. "What do you mean 'you knew'?" She copied him mockingly. "You knew there was an heir to the Namikaze clan and a possible explanation for Minato's deflection and you didn't tell me? Are you insane?!" She slammed her fist on the table, making him fall over backward in his chair.

The toad Sannin pulled himself up and chuckled nervously. "Actually, I'm kind of his godfather."

Tsunade stood from her chair and stalked toward her teammate. She cracked her knuckles menacingly and threatened him. "Ji-rai-ya, you better have a damn good reason for not telling me about him, or I'm gonna find all of your perverted books in this village and use them to close every orifice on your body."

The super pervert crossed his arms defensively and started to sweat. "H-Hold on Tsunade-hime! Don't be so haste!"

"I'm waiting!"

"I thought he was dead, ok?!"

The medic stopped in her tracks and her eyes softened. "You what?"

Jiraiya sat back down in his chair and rubbed his forehead. "I thought he died that night. When I heard about the Kyuubi attack I rushed back as fast as I could, I knew I wouldn't make it in time, but at least I wanted to make sure he was alright. By the time I got there, his mother was dead in her hospital bed, and Minato was long gone. I assumed he left because he'd lost everyone he cared about and had no one left to protect. Now to see him after all this time? I was shocked Tsunade, more so than anyone else."

"So, that's why you didn't come back until Midori-chan became a Genin?"

The man nodded. "Yeah, I figured that even if he wasn't here, Minato would want me to help the girl out. It's funny actually, she's so much like Kushina it's scary, even if there's no relation."

"Kushina?" Tsunade pondered on the name for a moment. When she remembered the name, she snapped her fingers. "I thought that sounded familiar. You mean Uzumaki Kushina, formerly from Whirlpool Country right?"

"Yeah, you knew her?"

"Well not personally…" Her eyes darkened. "After I was sworn in as the Hokage, I went over the hospital records for that night. I stumbled upon her name, being she was the only one to die that day not due to Kyuubi, not directly anyway. Her file said she died after child birth because of blood loss, but her son went missing. I didn't think much on that, but I do know one thing…I could have saved her if I had been here Jiraiya, and we could have avoided all of this. I was being so selfish. It took me so long to get over it, that people were dying while I was busy stewing in my own misery. It wasn't until Midori-chan grew up that I stopped dwelling on it."

Jiraiya stood up and rubbed the woman's back. "It's funny, when Kushina was pregnant I thought Naruto would come out acting just like her, but instead he looks and acts like Minato. I wonder what happened to make him that way?"

Before Tsunade could respond, a new voice cut in. "So, his name is Naruto hmm? This is certainly unexpected." Both Sannin instantly recognized the new voice, and looked out the window to see its lazy owner. Kakashi was sitting outside, his new book was closed beside him, and a faraway look was in his visible eye. He shook himself from his thoughts and waved up at the two. "Yo"

The Hokage found a tick mark growing on her head. "It isn't nice to eavesdrop you lazy bastard. What the hell are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be meeting up with your student?"

The Cyclops sighed and flipped opened his book. "Well I was, but when I saw a blond haired boy hiding in the trees, I figured I better tell you about it. Though he wasn't exactly who I expected him to be. Minato-sensei's son, huh? I'm not really impressed, his stealth abilities are terrible."

"I'm guessing you only saw him because he wanted you to see him."

The three occupants of the room turned to see Shikamaru walking through the door. The Chuunin's hands were in his pockets, and Temari trailed behind him, looking irritated.

"Shikamaru, where have you been? You should have reported in a while ago." Tsunade chastised the boy.

"I had to escort Team Gai to the hospital. They were all still pretty roughed up from their encounter with the Namikaze, who if what you said is true he's the Yondaime's son, right? Well anyway, I ran into Temari on the way and she insisted on coming along, even though she's being troublesome." Said Suna kunoichi grumbled indignantly, but she was ignored by the group.

"What do you mean he wanted me to see him." Kakashi questioned the Nara boy cautiously.

The shadow user sighed and began to explain. "Look, I fought this guy and traveled with him. I know enough to be able to tell that if I didn't see him, I wouldn't have known he was there, and that we never could have found him in the first place if he wasn't always out in the open."

"But why would he want me to see him?"

"Most likely he knew you would leave to tell the Hokage about him. Why he wanted that, I don't know. What were you doing that he would want you to leave?"

"I was with Sakura and…Midori…"

Before he could finish the sentence, the Sannin and elite Jounin were already on their way to intercept the jinchuuriki.

"Troublesome."

XxXxX

Midori furrowed her brow in confusion as they took a short cut through a training field. Something's felt off ever since she met up with Kakashi. It felt as if someone was watching her, or she was being…followed…

Cursing her stupidity, she concentrated and sent some chakra to her nose. Sniffing out the area, she was able to pick up an unfamiliar scent. Spinning around, she scanned the surrounding trees for anyone. Sakura looked at her friend in worry.

"Midori, what are you-"

"Someone's here Sakura, keep on your guard!"

"Hn, bout time. I was beginning to question your competency."

Both girls turned back to the direction they were walking in and saw a mysterious figure standing on the other side of the field. A tuft of sunny blond hair contrasted his entire black attire. The girls felt their faces heating up slightly at the sight of his bare muscled arms, but snapped themselves out of it quickly enough.

"Who the hell are you?!" Midori tactlessly yelled out.

"You should be careful with adding chakra to your nose like that. If you make a mistake, you'll blow out your olfactory senses and lose your ability to smell or even taste again." He casually warned her. "Only the Inuzuka are conditioned to use that ability safely, or so I'm told. Though, you just might be the one exception, with the help of your tenet of course."

The brown haired girl snarled at the mention of Kyuubi, showing off her barely elongated canines. "What the hell do you care anyway?! Are you with Akatsuki or something?! Cause if you are you can just go to hell right now!"

"Perhaps I am? What would you do if I was? Fight me? Are you strong enough for that? Or would you just get in the way?"

"Shut the hell up! You don't know anything about me! I'll fight you to my dying breath and never quit!" She clenched her fists and shook with anger. "What the hell does it matter to you anyway?!" She rushed at the blond without waiting for a reply, letting her emotions get the better of her.

"Everything"

The girl faltered in her steps hearing his reply. It was more than enough time for him to go on the offensive and kick her across the field.

"Midori!" Sakura watched her friend take the hit and roll away. Swiftly she took out her gloves and pulled them on. Charging at the boys turned back, she pulled back her fist to splatter him across the ground with her new found strength. When she got close enough, he craned his neck to look at her.

"Oh, you're still here? Sorry, but you'll just be in the way for this." The girl swung down on him, but he moved past her fist and into her guard. Slamming his elbow into her gut, saliva flew from her mouth, and she coughed and gasped for air. As he straightened himself, he latched onto her wrist and spun the pink haired girl around. Releasing his hold, the medic flew into the air and impacted a tree, taking her out of the fight for now.

A wave of killing intent flooded the area and brought a smirk to his face. "You cocky bastard. No one hurts my friends and gets away with it. I'm gonna beat your head in! TAJUU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" A wave of smoke covered the field. When it cleared, one thousand identical teenage girls stood staring at the blond.

"Show me your determination…Fujita Midori."

A/N: Another day another chapter. I promised a longer one so here it is. Yeah I know Midori is a lot like cannon Naruto, but I think the circumstances bred that personality, still there will be differences considering she's a girl. Soon there will be another, much longer flashback with Minato and chibi Naruto, so look forward to that. At one point in the story I compared Kushina to Midori. Know now that they are _not_related, ok?

To answer a question from ThePageMaster1530- no I don't have writers block for my other fics, it's more of ADD. I'll update them when I feel like it, but it shouldn't be too long.

Now…REVIEW BITCHES!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

A/N: Naruto's gonna be a _little bit _cruel. Don't hold it against him.

Shifting his weight on the soft grass to his other leg, his half lidded eyes stared dispassionately at the hoard of growling teenage girls. While creating so many clones was impressive to say the least, their opponent showed no amount of worry. It was next to impossible to coordinate strikes with so many copies at once, and if by some miracle she did, sending them all to attack _one _person was too impractical. They would just get in each other's way. Quickly he surmised that she was compensating for something with numbers, most likely a lack of any real Taijutsu skill.

The Bunshins subtly moved to surround their target, using what little stealth skills she learned over the past two and a half years to try and catch their opponent off guard. Unknown to her, the man had picked up the copies movements instantaneously; he just chose not to act on it.

"Who are you?!"

A gruff shout came from one of the many light brown haired girls in the group, while several others waited with narrowed eyes for an answer. Calmly, the blond boy raised his arm, causing many of the clones to tense. With a bored sigh he rubbed the back of his head.

"Didn't you already ask that? It doesn't matter either way, 'cause I have no intention of telling you my name yet. You've got bigger things to worry about anyway."

A delicate eyebrow rose in confusion. "What are you-"

Before she could finish her question, Naruto tapped one of his fingers against his raised palm of the same hand. She hadn't noticed until now, but there were strange black spiral tattoos each of his palms. In a plume of smoke, a kunai appeared within his grasp. Almost lazily, he brought his arm down and launched the single projectile in a seemingly random direction. The Midori's followed its trajectory with her eyes and gasped. It was heading straight toward a disoriented Sakura. Thinking quickly, one of the clones hurled themselves in front of the weapon to stop it and burst out of existence. Growling menacingly, she turned back to the blond, only to find someone else in his place.

"You bastar-"

Her frustrations died in her throat as she gazed upon the new figure.

"S-Sasuke?!"

True enough the wayward Uchiha was standing in his usual nonchalant stance in the middle of the field, acting as if nothing was wrong. He looked exactly as she remembered him, which should have set off warning bells, but she was too shocked to take note of the details and obvious mistakes in the environment. An arrogant smirk graced the pale features of the Sharingan user as he spoke.

"What's the matter dobe? You seem shocked."

The jinchuuriki took a few cautious steps toward her ex-teammate, and chuckled humorlessly at his statement.

"Shocked?! Why the hell wouldn't I be?!"

"Hn. Well I'm back now, and that matters, right?"

"Well yeah, but-"

XxXxX

A few paces away, Naruto watched with amusement as the girl talked with his illusion. He had cast it when he raised his arm to scratch his head a few moments ago. Curiously he studied the translucent figure his technique had conjured. A part of him felt like he should recognize the figure, but he wasn't successful in pulling up any memories on it.

This particular Genjutsu delves into the minds of its victims and simply shows them whatever they have a strong desire to see. It was only a D-rank, but most people were slow or reluctant to break it because they were seeing what they pined for in one way or another. Still, he was disappointed with her lack of detection skills.

It was apparent his charge was eager to come face to face with this boy, 'Sasuke.' Briefly he wondered what their relation was and why she longed to come into contact with him. Were they in a relationship? Was he just a villager or a friend she missed? Or did he go missing? The questions played on his mind for a moment, but he soon cast the thoughts aside as trivial. Bringing his hands to his front, he fluidly flew threw hand seals. The illusion was just a minor distraction after all.

Coming to a pause on the rat seal, he whispered the jutsus name.

"Raiton: Ooi Hibana no Jutsu"

As soon as the words left his lips, flecks of white electricity jumped from his body and shot in random directions, creating a blanket over the surrounding area. They weren't powerful jolts or particularly fast for that matter, but they were numerous and strong enough to dissipate a Bunshin. He like this technique, but it was too weak to disable someone unless he pumped some serious chakra into it or they were covered in water so he rarely had use for it.

The sound of cancelled clones as well as white smoke filled the area, and at the same time Naruto noticed three new people arriving near his location. They kept their presence hidden for now and he could only hope they had the foresight not to interrupt his assessment test of Fujita's abilities.

XxXxX

Midori stared down the young Uchiha in front of her, overcome with joy and minor disbelief at his unexpected appearance. It was a huge weight off of her chest to not need to track him down and drag him back. Before she could go on to question him further, a jolt of pain rushed through her body.

"Ahh! What the hell?!"

The hairs on her head began to rise slightly due to the static and she furrowed her brow in anger as the image of her teammate faded away. It was only then that she realized what was going on.

'_How could I be so stupid?! After all that time I spent learning how to dispel Genjutsu, I get caught in such an obvious one! Kuso, he was able to get rid of all my clones too. Who is this guy? And how dare that bastard toy with my mind?!'_

A vein bulged on her forehead as she watched him pick his ear with his pinky, not even looking at her. She was really starting to hate him. It pissed her off immensely to be disregarded so easily, and what's worse, he knew it. Naruto almost laughed at how easy it was to push her buttons. He would never act this way in a fight he took seriously, but getting her riled up would further lessen whatever little skill she possessed. Shinobi should always avoid such strong emotions like rage, especially when given only a little provocation like he's doing now.

Purposefully, he stifled a nonexistent yawn and smacked his lips before he turned a tired gaze to the girl.

"Well, are you going to attack or do I need to throw more kunai at the pink haired girl for motivation."

That did it. The sight of Sasuke made her forget the unfair assault on her downed teammate, but now that her memory was refreshed she was going to make him pay. Sneering at the blond, she threw her hands into a familiar cross shaped hand seal. Recognizing the sign, Naruto groaned inwardly.

"More Bunshins?"

"SHUT UP! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Ten Midori's popped into the field and they all charged the Namikaze. The boy sighed in irritation.

"Fujita, can you tell me what zero multiplied by ten equals?"

He didn't get a response as she continued to rush him at moderate speeds. Pulling his hands back, he curled in all of his fingers to his palm, molding chakra into ten different sections of the disguised storage seals. Smoke clouded both appendages, and he flung them forward, releasing five shuriken from each hand. The weapons flew true and sunk into the foreheads of ten of the Midori's, all of the vanished from existence leaving only the original in the charge. Before she could get within striking distance, he vanished in a burst of speed. Feeling something latch onto the collar of her jacket, the jinchuuriki froze in place and looked over her shoulder. Staring into cold blue eyes, her confidence faltered briefly.

"It's zero."

Tugging on her clothing, he swung the girl in an arc over his body and slammed her headfirst into the ground. The girl gritted her teeth in pain, as her opponent continued to speak, each word cutting deeper than a knife.

"In other words, if you keep making copies of trash," Swinging his leg, he kicked her in the side and sent her rolling across the clearing, probably breaking a rib in the process. "All we're left with is a pile of garbage."

"SHAANAROO!"

Spinning around, he was swiftly introduced to the right fist of a pissed off pink haired medic nin. Her gloved fist dug into the blond teen's abdomen with the force of a freight train and sent him flying across the clearing, through multiple trees. He'd been completely crushed under one of the mighty plants and left out of sight. Sakura smirked proudly and stood up straight with her hands on her hips. There was no way anyone would be able to get up from that blow, let alone survive it.

So when a voice _did_ speak up from behind her, her blood ran cold.

"That's some scary strength you got there. You Tsunade-san's daughter or somethin'?"

Whipping her head around, her wide green eyes stared at the enemy. He stood there perfectly unscathed, with his arms crossed a few feet away from her. Scratching his cheek, he looked over at the fallen trees.

"Yup, one hit from you and I'd be down for the count."

"H-How?" She managed to stutter out. "There was no time for a Kawarimi."

"Hmm…replacement? Nope, nothing like that, I've been here the entire time."

"What?" She furrowed her brow in thought. When the realization hit her, she inhaled sharply. "Kage Bunshin?" She asked in a breathy voice. "It was a clone all along."

He shifted his amused eyes to her and nodded. "Hai, I'm actually surprised neither of you noticed the shuriken thrown earlier vanished with the clones they struck. I've been let down a bit concerning Fujita's skills today." Turning to face Sakura completely, he went on. "You however, have surprised me. I didn't think you could recover so quickly from that initial hit. You're more resilient than you look."

The pink haired girl moved into a stance then answered him. "I'm a medic." She growled out, doing her best to sound intimidating.

The boy nodded in understanding, unfazed by her tone and not caring that she was prepared to attack. "Ah, I see. I should have known. I was worried for a moment that I was slipping." Tucking his hands into his sash, he sighed. "Still, it would be redundant for you to keep healing yourself after I knock you down, so I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to stop. If you don't I may be forced to break your hands. No hard feelings."

"Like I'll let you!"

She set off in a full sprint towards the blond. He was going to make a sarcastic comment, but a yell of 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu' from behind stopped him.

"Here we go again…"

XxXxX

Deep within the foliage of the surrounding area, the three strongest Shinobi in Konoha watched the ongoing one sided fight with mixed feelings. While they were duly impressed with the abilities Minato's son possessed, they couldn't help feel slightly saddened they couldn't have been there to watch and help his development. Kakashi and Jiraiya also felt strong pangs of guilt at Midori's pitiful display. Watching her get ruthlessly picked apart than insulted for it made them regret not investing more time on her. Neither had really given one hundred percent in training her, so the blame for her lack of skill fell to them. In Tsunade's mind, it just solidified her reasoning to have brought Naruto here. It was clear Midori wasn't ready to face Akatsuki alone, no matter how much she claims otherwise. She had a feeling the blond was going to be an invaluable resource in the future. That is if he can even get the girl to be around him after this.

She couldn't hold back a wince as she watched him snap Sakura's wrist when she continuously tried to heal herself despite his previous request for her not to.

'_What the hell kind of training did Minato put him through?'_

With a sigh, the slug princess stood from her crouched position and made jump out and stop the fight, but two outstretched hands stopped her. Narrowing her eyes, she hissed at the two men.

"What are you doing?! We need to stop this before he causes anymore damage. He's proved his point already, so let me step in!"

Jiraiya stared apologetically at the woman and shook his head.

"Sorry Tsunade, but I can't let you stop it yet."

"Why not?!"

"Because not only are we getting an idea of what level Naruto's at, he's also saying things the girls need to hear. It'll help them improve in the long run. Besides that, Midori's still got a few cards to play. I want to see how she stacks up against an opponent of this level, and I think that's what he's aiming to finding out too. He's seeing how much protection she'll actually need."

The woman huffed and turned to the silver haired Jounin.

"What about you? You enjoy seeing your students get mercilessly beaten?"

He gave her an eye smile. "Somewhat, but I was going to test their abilities later today anyway with the bell test. This is just as good though." He opened his eyes and looked back toward the fight. "Besides, if he wasn't holding back, this fight would have been over a long time ago."

The busty woman cross her arms indignantly. "Fine, but he's still getting a lecture about attacking Konoha shinobi."

The toad sage snorted at her statement. "If I know Midori, than it was probably her who threw the first punch."

XxXxX

Naruto stared down at the two figures in front of him without pity, shaking his head disappointedly. Sakura was writhing in pain, doing her best to nurse her now broken hands and wrists, and Midori was face down, trying and failing to push herself to her feet. Walking over to the struggling girl, he stood one foot away from her head and spoke.

"Get up, Fujita."

His demand was completely ignored, as the girl continued to pant and struggle.

"Get. Up." _"Get. Up." _Naruto's eyes bulged for a second in confusion. For a moment he could have sworn he heard another voice overshadow his own. _'A hallucination? No, just…déjà vu.'_

Shaking himself from his stupor, he looked down at the girl again.

"_I told you to get up!" _Taking a step backward, the blond screwed his eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of his nose. _'I'm starting to lose it again.' _He didn't even hear his own voice that time. The worst part was he knew exactly who the voice in his head belonged to. "Otou-sama…" Gritting his teeth, he tried to stay focused, but forgotten memories flooded his head like a tidal wave. There was nothing her could do to resist.

XxXxX

(Deep in the forests of Cha no Kuni: twelve years ago)

"I said get up Naruto, Taijutsu practice isn't over yet."

A tall blond man stood with his arms crossed in a small opening on the forest floor. He had forgone his signature white coat for the past four years as well as his usual green Jounin flak jacket. This left him clad in a long sleeved turtleneck shirt, dark blue in color, as well as dark blue pants. His face was set in a disapproving glare as he stared at the prone form of his son lying face down ten feet away.

"I…(pant)…can't tou-chan…(pant)…too tired…"

The four year old gasped for air, remaining as still as possible to not aggravate the cuts and bruises littering his small frame.

"Too tired?" His voice was harsh and almost mocking. "You're giving up so soon? What happened to the determination you showed me yesterday when you asked to be a ninja? Is it too tough for you? Am I wasting my time here?"

The child lifted head and focused his horrified and pleading eyes on his father. It was his dream to become a great shinobi, to be just like his tou-chan. Ever since the man had been telling him bed time stories of his adventures, Naruto had resolved that that's what he wanted to do too. Seeing no sympathy in the man's eyes he knew he had no choice but to force himself to his feet.

Tiny fingers dug themselves into soft soil, while weak shaky arms pushed against the throbbing pain in their muscles to heave the boy to his feet. Slowly but steadily, the young blue eyed boy managed to bring himself to an upright position. His arms hung limply at his sides and sweat poured from his forehead, but he still stood one foot in front of the other in a makeshift fighting stance, ready to take whatever was thrown at him. To his surprise, instead of being charged, his father just sighed in relief and turned around.

"Practice is over for today. Go get some rest while I prepare diner. You can have a break from your studies, but only this one time."

A befuddled expression made its way to the boys face. "W-What? But I thought…"

Minato glanced over his shoulder at his confused son. "Today wasn't about ability Naruto. It was about resolve. Your only four years old with no prior training, there was no way you would do well. I just wanted to see how you would react when pushed past your limits against a clearly superior opponent. Have the guts to get up and fight, or roll over and quit. It's what separates good shinobi from the greats." He turned his head forward and began to walk away.

"Wait! What if I didn't get up? What would you have done tou-chan?"

He answered, but didn't stop his gait. "I would have refused to teach you anything and made you forget the idea of ever being a shinobi." Lowering his head he whispered to himself out of hearing range. "And I would have failed you as a father." He wouldn't admit that he purposefully tells his son elaborate stories at night to plant the idea of being a ninja into his head. And if he's taught anything to his son since birth, he's taught him courage and perseverance.

Naruto stared at the retreating form of his father and let a wide goofy grin make its way onto his face. He passed an important test his tou-chan gave him and was one step closer to being a great ninja like him. Pride swelled in his chest at his accomplishment. He would have jumped up and down in excitement, but he was far too sore.

XxXxX

Limping heavily, the blond child made his way back to the campsite. It was a simple setup they had going, there were two small one person tents with a sleeping bag in each, a fire pit in front on them, and two logs around it to sit on or lean against. Stumbling over to one of the logs, he plopped down and closed his eyes. It was already late in the afternoon, so he didn't want to fall asleep just yet, but he did need to relax. He was glad to get a break from his studies, though they only involved learning how to read and write at the moment, aside from the hidden lessons in his father's stories. He just didn't think he could concentrate right now. Today was much rougher than he could have anticipated.

His tou-chan had been acting strangely since he proclaimed he wanted to be a shinobi the previous morning. Something in his eyes had hardened and the difficulty of today only reassured that theory. It wasn't something that anyone could pick up on, but when basically ninety nine percent of your interaction comes from one person, you begin to get used to their habits and personality. That wasn't to say that the older blond had ever been particularly affectionate to his son, in fact he acted rather detached most of the time, but he never thought he would be so rough with him right out of the starting gate. He did say it was all just a test, so tomorrow shouldn't be nearly as bad…right?

The sound of approaching footsteps a few minutes later snapped the young shinobi in training back to reality. Turning his head, he saw his father coming toward him with some fish tied up and draped over his shoulder. Quickly the boy stood up and threw some fresh wood they had gathered earlier into the fire pit, as well as picking up some sticks to cook the fish on.

His father gave him a silent nod for his assistance and did a couple hand seals. "Katon: Hidama no Jutsu" A single tiny fireball shot from his mouth and into the pit, igniting it. A few moments later the fish were cooking, the sun was setting, and Minato was quietly reading from a scroll while casually jotting down a few notes. Naruto just sat and watched their fire burn in a comfortable silence. This was routine for them. The others presence felt as natural as being alone if not more so. They had no need to try and make small talk, and when they did speak, it was usually Naruto questioning his father.

When their food was done, Minato took a bite of his fish and spoke to his son, never looking up from his scroll.

"We're going into town tomorrow. We need to get you some proper clothing to train in."

The boy was slightly startled by the sudden conversation, but he was happy none the less. It was rare for them to leave their camp unless they were relocating completely, so any other human interaction was more than welcome. Glancing down at his now tattered white shirt and blue shorts, he chuckled sheepishly.

"Guess these don't last too long against you tou-chan." The man let a small smirk reach his lips, but continued to read. "Neh...tou-chan?"

"Yes Naruto?"

The boy hesitated for a moment and bit his lip. "Do…do you think you could tell me about kaa-chan?" The smirk on the man's face vanished and his expression darkened almost unnoticeably. "I...I mean you don't have to if you don't want to." Naruto quickly explained, not wanting to upset his father. "I was just…curious, that's all." He finished in a low voice, ashamed that he might have spoke out of line.

Minato rolled up his scroll slowly and sighed heavily. He always expected his son to ask questions about his mother, but not this soon. "It's ok, really Naruto. You have a right to know about her, but this is going to count as your bed time story, alright?" Getting a furious nod as an answer, the former Yondaime stood up and moved to sit by his son. Wrapping one arm around the boy's shoulders, he pulled him close, for what is sure to be a difficult tale to tell. "So what exactly do you want to know?"

The boy blushed lightly in embarrassment at the rare closeness and show of fatherly affection. "I don't know. What was she like? How did you meet? And…what happened to her?"

'_Great, the tough ones.'_"Well, I suppose it all started during the third great shinobi war against Iwa. Konoha was allied with a village by the name of Whirlpool. It was a small island nation northeast of Fire country, and an important strategic outpost for us. Unfortunately, this also made them a prime target for Iwa. So when the day came where they had to fend off an assault they were completely overwhelmed, and the entire country was destroyed. Only a few refugees managed to make it out and find sanctuary in Konoha. Your mother, Uzumaki Kushina, was one of them."

He paused briefly here to gather his thoughts. The entire time he'd been speaking in a low whisper, just loud enough for Naruto to hear, doing his best to keep his upsetting emotions away.

"Our first meeting was in the Hokage's office, we had a mission together you see, and she was going to be my partner. Well when I walked into that office and we locked eyes with each other, let me tell you…it was hate at first sight." Naruto choked a bit on his breath and turned a puzzled gaze to his father, who seemed to be enraptured by the campfire. "Sure, she was beautiful and all, but something about her just rubbed me the wrong way. I mean, she was wearing orange for Kami's sake." His son took a moment to silently pout. He liked orange.

"The first thing she did was throw an insult out at me. She called my 'yellow flash' coat gaudy, of all things. A woman wearing _orange_called me gaudy. And after some arguing and a few childish insults, we put our differences aside and did the mission. Funny enough, it was completed without a hitch. We made an amazing team, me and her. We complemented each other perfectly, even though we fought with completely different styles. She liked to give battle cries and use huge overly fancy jutsu, while I preferred silence and finesse in my attacks, quick kills over giant explosions."

"Both of us just wanted to get it over with and get away from the other so we did our best to work well together…That plan backfired completely. Sarutobi saw how we drove each other, so he kept putting us together. Any time I didn't go with my Genin, I would be with her."

Naruto wasn't exactly feeling inspired by this story yet. "So what happened? If you hated each other, than why did you have me?" His tone came off as slightly worried.

Minato rubbed the top of his sons head absentmindedly. "You see, war has a way of showing you exactly how people are deep down inside and breaking their masks. Everyone shows their true colors in the midst of battle, and we were no different. So one day, I had gotten a minor injury on one of our missions and your mother wouldn't stop fussing over it, you'd think I was dying with how she was acting. It was shocking really, to see her show me any concern, but it was understandable. She'd lost so many people in her life that she told me she couldn't handle losing me too. It was so unexpected to see that side of her, behind the brash foulmouthed tomboy, yet so refreshing. That was when I realized how close we had actually grown. How I began to look forward to missions with her and hearing her cocky words of encouragement, with her confidence flowing off of her in waves…And that's when I realized that I didn't think I could handle losing her either."

Glancing down at his son, he noted the half lidded eyes and sad expression. "Well, the war ended soon after thanks to yours truly and the Hiraishin. Forever marking me and anyone I'm close to on the front page of bingo books all across the elemental nations. There was no helping that though, but it wasn't like anyone dared to challenge me anymore. It did however complicate things when my brain decided it didn't want to think about anything but your mother. When she agreed to start seeing me on a romantic level, we had to keep it a secret to keep her safe. Only Sarutobi and my sensei, your Kyoufu, Jiraiya of the Sannin knew about us."

With a heavy sigh he continued to the hard part of the story. "Eventually I asked your mother to marry me and she accepted. Shortly after that she became pregnant with you. Everything in my life has absolutely perfect and I couldn't ask for more." Naruto pulled his knees to his chest. He knew this story didn't a happy ending. "Then came the day you were set to be born, October tenth, the very same day the nine tailed demon lord Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked Konoha."

Minato looked down at his son and noticed him begin to shiver. "The next parts might be a little hard to hear Naruto, but I'm going to be completely honest with you, Ok?" The boy nodded shakily. "Kyuubi is the most powerful entity in known existence, and without Mokuton abilities, cannot be stopped. Though some claim a powerful eye bloodline limit called the Sharingan might be able to control it, I'm not so sure. Anyway, the only option we had at our disposal was sealing it away into a container, more specifically, an infant."

The blond man looked toward the sky as he reflected on the past. "I was fully prepared to give up my life and seal the Bijuu away within you, son, and leave you in the sole care of your mother." Naruto's breathing became quick and panicked. "And I would have done just that had I not been convinced to visit you and your mother in the hospital…where she died right in front of my eyes." The boy froze and cautiously looked to his father. "Stress, childbirth, and blood loss, that's what the doctor told me. Nothing they could do about it. But what shocked me the most though was how…quietly she went. It just didn't feel right… it didn't suit her at all."

Naruto was openly crying by now. He had no idea that's what happened and he felt terrible for bringing it up. "I-I'm sorry tou-chan."

Minato frowned lightly. "For what? You haven't done anything wrong."

Sniffing and wiping the tears away, he answered. "B-But if I wasn't born then maybe kaa-chan would still be okay."

"Don't say that. Your mother loved you more than anything in the world and would have given her life a million times over just to see you happy."

"R-Really?"

"Yes."He said in soft in a soft, comforting tone. "In fact, it was her last request for me to keep you safe, which incidentally brings us here. I knew it was impossible to make sure you were ok if you were all alone in Konoha."

"W-Why's that?"

The yellow flash chose his next words carefully. "Well in desperation, people can become…ugly."

"Ugly?"

"Yes, but that's something I'll explain another day. For now, it's getting late and past your bed time. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow so get lots of rest." Naruto was prepared to complain, but seeing the stern look in his father's eyes he gave in and shuffled into his tent. When his son disappeared from view, Minato pulled out a scroll from his pouch and unsealed a white ceramic bottle filled with sake. Uncorking the container, he brought it to his lips and downed the contents in its entirety. With a gasp for air, he pulled the bottle away from his mouth, wiped his lips roughly and tossed the remains of the alcohol into the dying fire, fueling the flames briefly. With a sorrowful look in his eyes he continued to stare at the fire for hours to come.

Worried blue eyes peering in his direction went completely unnoticed.

A/N: _**Next time, the flashback continues and the Naruto vs. Midori fight comes to an end!**_

There were a few mistakes that were pointed out to me in previous chapters, like the Hyuuga thing. I'll see if I can find time to go back and tweak those a bit.

I used an online translator for the jutsu names cause it sounds cooler, but if it's like way off and you speak Japanese and feel like correcting me, I'll take the time to fix it, but otherwise I'll leave it and give you the rough meanings.

Translation:

Raiton: Ooi Hibana no Jutsu- Lightning release: Shroud of Sparks

Katon: Hidama- Fire release: Fireball

Cha no Kuni- Tea Country

Kage Bubshin- Shadow Clone (duh)


End file.
